Artesian well control device



June 19, 1962 E. H. LACEY ARTESIAN WELL CONTROL DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 5, 1958 R. w m ww L1 H. M m ,T U W Z E Y B 527V y/M/ MW? Ma r p a2 9 O m C 0 0 2 June 19, 1962 E. H. LACEY 3,039,533

ARTESIAN WELL CONTROL DEVICE Filed Sept. 5, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Edward H. Lacey 1 N VE N TOR.

BY M403 ZMHMW U111t E The present invention generally relates to a control device fore a flowing artesian well which is particularly designed for the purpose of stopping the flow of such a well when water is escaping around the well casing into other areas and also to stop the flow through the casing while repairs are made above the point of stoppage or to permit the installation of a new casing where the old casing may have become deteriorated.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a control device for a flowing well for sealing off the well casing and stopping the flow of water from the well for various purposes including repair or replacement of the casing above the point of stoppage and also to prevent the escape of water around the well casing and enabling a new and smaller well casing to be inserted into the old well casing. v

A further object of the present invention is to provide a control device for artesian or flowing wells generally in the form of an inflatable element which may be inserted into the old well casing to a desired point at or below the lower end thereof and then inflated for purposes of forming a control device for flow of water in the casing or flow of water into the casing.

Another important feature of the present invention is to provide a control device which is simple in construction, positively anchored in position, adapted for use in many orientations and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

, These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional view of the control device of the present invention installed in a well showing the same in sealed relation to the well bore for preventing flow of water into or around the old well casing;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of the control device in collapsed condition and provided with an enclosure for retaining the same in collapsed condition during insertion thereof into the well;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse, plan sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse, plan sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 44 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmental sectional view on an enlarged scale of one of the anchor members; and FIGURE 6 is a sectional view similar to FIGURE 1 but showing a modified form of the invention.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates the control device of the present invention for installation in a well bore 12 immediately below the well casing 14 and above the water producing sand or other porous material 16 with the control device normally engaging the over-burden above the artesian water vein which is usually clay, shale or the like.

The control device 10 includes an elongated pipe 18 having a sand point 20 including a pointed lower end 22 and a series of apertures 24 for insertion into the porous material 16. The pipe 18 extends to the top of the well and may be considered a smaller casing or flow pipe in that water may flow in the pipe 18 after the control device 18 has been installed.

res Patent O Mounted on the pipe 18 is an inflatable rubber elongated tubular member 26 which may be expanded from a collapsed condition as shown in FIGURE 2 to the extended position shown in FIGURE 1 so that when it is in its extended position, the inflatable member 26 will sealingly engage the wall of the bore 12 immediately below the lower end of the casing 14. The tubular member or inflatable member 26 is provided with inturned ends 28 with the inflatable member 26 generally defining a closed end cylindrical member when inflated.

For securing the lower closed end 28 of the inflatable member 26 to the pipe 18, there is provided a lower flange 30 welded to the pipe 18 as indicated by the numeral 32 and an upper flange 34 encircling the pipe 18 with the closed end 28 received between the flanges 30 and 34 with the flanges 30 and 34 being provided with fastening bolts 36 extending therethrough for clampingly and sealingly engaging the closed end 28 to the flanges 30 and 34 thus attaching and sealingly connecting the pipe 18 and the inflatable member 26.

The upper closed end 28 of the inflatable member 26 is connected with the pipe 18 by virtue of a thickened upper flange 38 welded to the pipe as at 40 and an annular lower flange 42 encircling the pipe 18 in spaced relation with the flanges 38 and 42 receiving the upper closed end 28 of the inflatable member 26 therebetween. Fastening bolts 44 extend through the flange 38, closed end 26 and flange 42 for securing the upper closed end of the inflatable member 26 to the pipe 18 in sealed relation.

The flange 38, upper closed end 28 and the flange 42 have an air pipe 46 extending therethrough with the air pipe 46 being connected with a check valve 48 at its upper end with the check valve being connected with an air supply line 50 which extends to the upper end of the well. The line 50 may be an air supply line or may be a pressure line for other flowable materials including cement or the like whereby the tube 46 communicates with the interior of the inflatable member 26 thereby enabling the inflatable member 26 to be inflated with the check valve preventing deflation thereof.

The top flange 38 is provided with a series of radial notches or slots 52 extending vertically completely therethrough with the notches 52 pivotally receiving pointed anchor members 54 with the anchor members 54 being mounted on hinge pins 56 whereby the anchor members 54 will be expanded outwardly into engagement with the inner surface of the well bore or hole 12. The hinged anchor members or dogs 54 may be forced out by the inflation of the inflatable member 26 or may be otherwise extended so that they will anchor the inflatable member 26 to the well hole or bore 12.

FIGURE 2 of the drawings illustrates the control 10 in a collapsed condition in which it is inserted into the well casing 14 and the entire assembly is bound 'by and compactly contained in a light fragile covering designated by the numeral 58 which is strong enough to compact the same so that it may be conveniently and easily inserted down through the existing well casing or into the well with the cover being fragile so that it may be ruptured when the ball or cylinder-like inflatable member 26 is inflated. The ends of the cover 58 may be retained in encircling relation to the pipe 18 by retaining rings 60 of any conventional construction and the covering material 58 may be of any suitable material but may be in the form of a sheet of nylon which actually forms a protective material or shroud so arranged that it allows expansion of the inflatable member but still furnishes protection to the entire exterior surface of the inflatable member thus affording protection against the puncturing of said inflatable member 26.

FIGURE 6 illustrates a modified form of the invention in which the control device is generally designated by the numeral 62 and is mounted in the well bore 12' and below the casing 14- and is carried by a well pipe 18' and includes an air supply line 50 which also may carry cement or other similar material. The control member 62 includes an inflatable ball or cylindrical-like member 64 with closed ends 66 having a longitudinally extending rubber tube 68 extending through the length of the inflatable member 64 in the center thereof and receiving the pipe 18'. The flange 38 rests against the upper end of the inflatable member 64 and the inflatable member 64 has an annular ring or flange 42' disposed in the inner surface thereof and which may be embedded into the rubber inflatable member 64 and fastening bolts 44 are used for retaining the flange 38 to the inflatable member 64 and the annular flange 42 whether the flange be on the interior surface of the inflatable member or embedded therein. This construction eliminates the necessity of the lower flange and simply makes an inflatable collar around the new smaller casing or pipe 18' and thus permits the rubber collar to slip upwardly along said new smaller casing or pipe 18' in a free manner as the rubber collar is inflated in the event of great upward pressure of water and thus avoid the tearing of the inflatable member that would be possible if the lower end of the inflatable member were fixed to the pipe 18' as in the case of FIG- URE 1.

Generally, the collapsible inflatable rubber ball or cylinder with the closed ends may be suitably reinforced with nylon, steel or other strengthening material embedded therein at the top and bottom or ends thereof. Also, the upper flange 38 at the top as well as the lower flange on the bottom or on the ends of the inflatable member may be provided with the hinged dogs or anchor members 54 which are attached to the flanges so as to fall outward or to be forced outward and grip the outer edges of the well hole beyond the well casing if this type of anchor means is necessary or desired. The supply pipe is attached to the inflatable member through the top flange and the inflatable member is either constructed around a smaller well casing or pipe or permanently attached thereto at the desired distance from the bottom end of the pipe or sand pipe as shown in-FIGURE 1. The supply tube or pipe runs upwardly along the well pipe or smaller casing with the whole assembly inserted into the existing larger case or pipe down into the well so that the outer casing could be pulled to a point just above the top of the inflatable member and the inflatable member then be inflated with air, cement or other suitable material thus forcing the outer walls of said inflatable member or cylinder outwardly or against the internal surface of the well hole even though the same may be irregular thereby closing and sealing the entire well hole or opening leaving only the new smaller well casing or pipe for extracting water from the well. Of course, the inflatable member need not be constructed around any new smaller casing or pipe but may simply be constructed for insertion into the existing well casing to the point in said well that it is desired to plug or seal completely so that the outer casing can then be pulled above said device and said device inflated with air, concrete or other suitable material so as to plug the well hole completely. Further, the device is constructed for the simple purpose of lowering the same into an existing well casing for the sole purpose of plugging the same temporarily or permanently by inflating the same within the well casing with air, cement or other suitable material for the purpose of making repairs above the inflatable member or sealing the casing temporarily or permanently for any other purpose desired. As set forth in the specification, the inflatable member may also be shrouded with sheets of nylon or other suitable protective material so arranged and overlapped as to allow expansion and still furnish protection to the entire exterior surface of the inflatable member which is exposed to the outer wall of said well or other casing Within said Well thereby aflording protection against the puncturing of the inflatable member. As shown in FIG- URE 2, it is also contemplated that the entire assembly may be bound and compactly contained in a light fragile covering strong enough to retain the assembly in compact condition during insertion into the well casing but readily ruptured when the inflatable member is inflated. It is also within the purview of the present invention to provide the outer surface of the inflatable member and both surfaces of the protective sheeting if such is used with ribs or corrugations so as to give additional gripping power when the inflatable member is expanded thereby preventing slippage. It is also pointed out that the top flange 38 is so constructed so as toallow the pumping of additional cement or other suitable material into the area of the well hole above the inflatable member, that is, into the area of the well hole above said plug or seal or the inflatable member or between the existing hole and the outer edge or outer surface of the well casing since the slots or notches 52 assure that flow past the flange 38 many readily occur.

It is also pointed out that flange 38 is of lesser diameter than casing 14 to assure passage of cement for back filling the space between the outer surface of the casing 14 and the well bore 12. The inflatable member is constructed so that the same well not expand upwardly around the anchor members 54 and against the casing 14 when normal pressure is applied thereto. In addition, grooves may be provided on the upper surface of the anchor members 54 since the anchor members 54 could trail upwardly from the inflatable member when inserted into the casing 14 so as to fall outwardly and grip the edge of the well bore in response to pressure forcing the same upwardly and, when gripping the edge of the well bore 12, would be so constructed as always to point outward, upward and into the surface or edge of the well bore.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A sealing device for wells having a cylindrical casing terminating in a well bore defined by an irregular surface and being larger in diameter than the well casing, said sealing device including an inflatable resilient bag, a pipe extending longitudinally through the bag and having considerable less diameter than the casing, an upper flange means rigidly secured to the pipe and attached to the upper end of the bag for securing the upper end of the bag to the pipe in sealed relation, means forming a flange at the lower end of the bag and rigidly attached to the pipe thereby rigidly securing the lower end of the bag to the pipe in sealed relation, a supply line extending alongside of the pipe within the casing, an adapter connected to the line and extending through the flange at the upper end of the bag and terminating interiorly of the bag for causing expansion of the bag when a pressure medium is introduced into the bag through the line, said flange connected with the top of the bag including a plurality of pivotally mounted anchor members normally disposed alongside of the uninflated bag and being pivoted outwardly into engagement with the interior surface of the well bore and extending outwardly beyond the well casing when the bag is inflated to a greater diameter than the flange thereby forcing the anchor members outwardly.

2. A control assembly for flowing wells having a well casing disposed in a well bore comprising an inflatable member normally having a cross-sectional area less than the casing for insertion thereof into the casing, means connected with the inflatable member for supporting said inflatable member within the well bore below the casing, and means connected with said inflatable member for supplying a fluid medium thereto for expanding the inflatable member into sealing engagement with the inner surface of the well bore thus plugging the well bore below the lower end of the well casing for preventing flow of liquid upwardly in the well bore beyond said inflatable member, said inflatable member including means expandible outwardly beyond the lower end of the casing, said supporting means for the inflatable mem her including a tubular pipe extending centrally through the inflatable member in sealed relation thereto whereby the pipe forms a smaller well casing, said pipe having a sand point on the lower end thereof, said inflatable member being generally in the form of a cylinder having closed end with the inflatable member being constructed of rubber for receiving air, cement or any other suitable material for causing expansion thereof, said pipe being provided with a flange at the upper end and a flange at the lower end of the inflatable member with the flanges being attached to the inflatable member, one of said pipe flanges having pivotal anchor dogs thereon for extending into gripping engagement with the'inner surface of the well bore.

3. In combination with a well casing disposed in a well bore of artesian well, a control device comprising a rubber bag generally cylindrical in shape and having closed upper and lower ends, said bag having a crosssectional area less than the casing when collapsed for insertion thereof into the casing, an elongated well pipe extending through said bag and disposed concentrically within the casing for lowering the bag into the casing, a fluid supply line extending along the pipe and communicating with the interior of the bag for expanding the bag when the bag has been lowered to a position in the well bore immediately below the lower end of the casing whereby the bag will sealingly engage the inner surface of the well bore to prevent flow of water upwardly past the bag thereby enabling the well casing to be repaired, said pipe being provided with a flange attached to the upper end of the bag, said supply pipe extending through said flange into the bag, and a plurality of pivotal anchor dogs mounted on said flange and extending downwardly alongside of the bag when the bag is in collapsed position and being forced radially outwardly when the bag is expanded whereby the dogs will engage the inner surface of the well bore and anchor the bag therein.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said flange is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced notches pivotally receiving the upper ends of said dogs, and a rupturable cover member enclosing the flange dogs, and inflatable member with the end portions of the cover being connected to the well pipe above the flange and below the inflatable member.

5. In combination with a well casing disposed in a well bore of an artesian well, a control device comprising a rubber bag generally cylindrical in shape and having closed upper and lower ends, said bag having a crosssectional area less than the casing when collapsed for insertion thereof into the casing, an elongated well pipe extending through said bag and disposed concentrically within the casing for lowering the bag into the casing, a fluid supply line extending along the pipe and communicating with the interior of the bag for expanding the bag when the bag has been lowered to a position in the well bore immediately below the lower end of the casing whereby the bag will sealingly engage the inner surface or" the well bore to prevent flow of water upwardly past the bag thereby enabling the well casing to be repaired, said bag including a rubber tube extending therethrough and sealed to the upper and lower ends thereof with the pipe being received in the rubber tube, the upper end of the bag being attached to the pipe and the lower end thereof being free whereby the lower end of the bag may move relative to the pipe upon exertion of excessive water pressure on the lower end of the bag.

6. in combination with a Well casing disposed in a well bore of an artesian well, a control device comprising a rubber bag gene-rally cylindrical in shape and having closed upper and lower ends, said bag having a crosssectioual area less than the casing when collapsed for insertion thereof into the casing, an elongated well pipe extending through said bag and disposed concentrically within the casing for lowering the bag into the casing, a fluid supply line extending along the pipe and communicating with the interior of the bag for expanding the bag when the bag has been lowered to a position in the well bore immediately below the lower end of the casing whereby the bag will sealingly engage the inner surface of the well bore to prevent flow of water upwardly past the bag thereby enabling the well casing to be repaired, said pipe being provided with a flange attached to the upper end of the bag, said supply pipe extending through said flange into the bag, and a rupturable cover member enclosing the flange and inflatable member with the end portions of the cover being connected to the well pipe above the flange and below the inflatable member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 672,475 Cavalla-ro Apr. 23, 1901 1,000,583 Cooper Aug. 15, 1911 1,549,168 Townsend Aug. 11, 1925 2,581,070 Blood Jan. 1, 1952 2,605,637 Rhoades Aug. 5, 1952 2,681,706 Pottorf June 22, 1954 2,745,496 Blood et a1 May 15, 1956 

